Warriors taking steps to keep their top draft pick

Updated 6:06 pm, Friday, August 22, 2014

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Image 1of/5

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 5

Chris Mullin watches a video tribute to his days playing for the Warriors. The Hall of Famer had his jersey retired at a halftime ceremony during the Warriors game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, March 19, 2012. less

Chris Mullin watches a video tribute to his days playing for the Warriors. The Hall of Famer had his jersey retired at a halftime ceremony during the Warriors game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Oracle ... more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Image 2 of 5

The Warriors host an event for season ticket holders with Warrior executives such as co-executive chairman Peter Guber at the Oracle Arena in Oakland , Calif., on Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

The Warriors host an event for season ticket holders with Warrior executives such as co-executive chairman Peter Guber at the Oracle Arena in Oakland , Calif., on Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Image 3 of 5

Principal owner of the Golden State Warriors Peter Guber Tuesday May 24, 2011.

Principal owner of the Golden State Warriors Peter Guber Tuesday May 24, 2011.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Image 4 of 5

Golden State Warriors basketball team executives, Peter Guber, (right) and Joe Lacob join San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, (center) as they officially announced plans, on Tuesday May 22, 2012, in San Francisco,Ca., to build a new arena on Piers 30 and 32 in time for the start of the 2017-2018 NBA season. less

Golden State Warriors basketball team executives, Peter Guber, (right) and Joe Lacob join San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, (center) as they officially announced plans, on Tuesday May 22, 2012, in San Francisco,Ca., ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Image 5 of 5

Golden State Warriors Assistant General Manager Bob Myers listens as the team's new recruits field questions during a news conference on Monday, June 27, in Oakland Calif.

Golden State Warriors Assistant General Manager Bob Myers listens as the team's new recruits field questions during a news conference on Monday, June 27, in Oakland Calif.

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

Warriors taking steps to keep their top draft pick

1 / 5

Back to Gallery

New York -- The Warriors are in ongoing discussions with Utah in hopes of securing their lottery pick, regardless of conditions, before the ping pong balls can decide their fate Wednesday.

The Warriors are slotted seventh and have to stay there or move up in the lottery to keep the pick. If they fall back to eighth or worse, they convey the pick to Utah because of the conditions of a 2008 trade for Marcus Williams.

They have about a 12 percent chance of moving into the top three and about a 72 percent chance of at least maintaining their seventh slot. Just in case they can't swing a deal with Utah that takes luck completely out of the equation, the Warriors' brass is doing everything it can to help its odds.

Co-owner Peter Guber, general manager Bob Myers and team spokesman Raymond Ridder are arriving in Times Square with good luck charms that seem to be lessening the pressures of the all-or-nothing lottery, if not actually increasing their chances.

Guber was given a massive tooth from a great white shark several years back. He said it's much larger than the normal size, measuring almost 3 inches in length and weighing nearly 2 pounds.

He started believing in the lucky powers of the tooth when he and Joe Lacob's "underdog" ownership group outbid Larry Ellison for the Warriors in 2010. It may have had something to do with a film he produced, "The Kids Are All Right," winning the Golden Globe in 2010, too.

"It brought me the Warriors, so why can't it bring the Warriors a pick?" Guber said.

Guber will make sure Myers rubs the tooth before Wednesday, when the new general manager will represent the team on the 14-team dais. Myers was still taking suggestions for his good luck charm Monday, but he's leaning toward bringing an American Indian coin.

"I'm open to more suggestions, but this seems pretty serious. If it works, it's even more serious," Myers said. "Any time you're dealing with chance, there are a lot of outcomes that you like and some that you don't. That's part of the enjoyment from the fans' perspective, but from an organizational standpoint, it's not enjoyable. It's stressful."

The Warriors are due some lottery luck. They've participated in the event 20 times since its inception in 1985 and have moved up from their pre-lottery slot only three times. They've moved down eight times and stood pat nine times.

They've dropped down or stood pat the past 14 trips to the lottery. The last time they moved up was 1995, when they jumped from No. 5 to No. 1 and selected Joe Smith from a weak draft pool.

Ridder has been with the Warriors since 1998, but he has a new good luck charm this season. His wife, Sanae, gave him a red omamori prior to their trip to New York.

The amulets are said to provide various forms of luck and protection and are often dedicated to particular Shinto deities or Buddhist figures. There's no truth to the rumor that Ridder's is dedicated to Anthony - either the patron saint of lost articles or Anthony Davis, the star Kentucky forward.

Not a Golden lottery history

The Warriors have been involved in the lottery 20 times since its 1985 inception. They've had pretty bad luck, moving up three times, dropping down eight times and standing pat nine times.

Year

Pos

Draft

Move

Selection

1985

T-1

7

Down 6

Chris Mullin

1986

4

3

Up 1

Chris Washburn

1988

3

5

Down 2

Mitch Richmond

1990

9

11

Down 2

Tyrone Hill

1993

7

3

Up 4

Anfernee Hardaway

1995

5

1

Up 4

Joe Smith

1996

11

11

None

Todd Fuller

1997

8

8

None

Adonal Foyle

1998

4

5

Down 1

Vince Carter

1999

9

10

Down 1

Jason Terry

2001

2

5

Down 3

Jason Richardson

2002

T-1

3

Down 2

Mike Dunleavy

2003

11

11

None

Mickael Pietrus

2004

T-11

11

None

Andris Biedrins

2005

T-9

9

None

Ike Diogu

2006

T-9

9

None

Patrick O'Bryant

2008

14

14

None

Anthony Randolph

2009

7

7

None

Stephen Curry

2010

4

6

Down 2

Ekpe Udoh

2011

11

11

None

Klay Thompson

Seventh-slot results

The Warriors need to maintain their seventh slot or move into the top three of Wednesday's NBA draft lottery or they lose their first-round pick to Utah. The Warriors have a 72 percent chance of keeping their pick and mostly favorable history on their side.

Since the NBA started using the weighted lottery system in 1994:

-- The No. 7 slot has retained its position 12 times (last: Detroit in 2010)

-- The No. 7 slot has moved up to No.1 twice (last: Portland in 2007)

-- The No. 7 slot has moved down to eighth four times (last: Detroit in 2011)

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.